1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus which is used for transferring a pattern on a mask to a substrate, such as a wafer, in a photolithography process for producing semiconductors, liquid crystal displays, thin-film magnetic heads, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
As exposure apparatuses used for producing, for example, semiconductors, there can be mentioned a projection exposure apparatus, such as a stepper, in which a reticle as a mask is illuminated with exposure light passing through an illumination optical system, to thereby transfer a pattern on the reticle through a projection optical system to a photoresist-coated wafer (or a glass plate), and an exposure apparatus of a proximity type or a contact type in which the pattern on the reticle is directly transferred to the wafer, using the above-mentioned exposure light. In these exposure apparatuses, ultraviolet light, such as an i-line from a super-high pressure mercury-vapor lamp (wavelength: 365 nm), has conventionally been used as exposure light.
In conventional exposure apparatuses, a series of lenses in the illumination optical system are divided into blocks and fixedly provided in lens barrels. In the illumination optical system, chambers defined by adjacent lenses are sealed by providing sealing materials between lenses and lens barrels. These sealing materials also serve as adhesives for fixing the lenses to the lens barrels. As such sealing materials, silicon-containing materials are generally used. In other words, in the sealed chambers in the illumination optical system, silicon-containing materials which serve not only as sealing materials, but also as adhesives are used. It is known that the sealing materials (or adhesives) containing silicon generate an organosilicon gas.
In conventional exposure apparatuses in which ultraviolet light is used as exposure light, ozone is produced from oxygen molecules in an atmosphere, in the presence of ultraviolet light. When an organosilicon gas is generated from the sealing materials (or adhesives) containing silicon, the ozone produced from oxygen in the presence of ultraviolet light oxidizes the organosilicon gas and consequently, deposition of haze substance, such as silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), on the surfaces of lenses is likely to occur. This leads to a lowering of illuminance of exposure light and a non-uniform distribution with respect to illuminance of exposure light. Because low molecular weight siloxane contained in the sealing materials (or adhesives) is a cause of the generation of organosilicon gas, in order to prevent deposition of SiO.sub.2 on the surfaces of lenses in an illumination optical system, recently, materials having a low content of low molecular weight siloxane have been used as the sealing materials (or adhesives).
Thus, in illumination optical systems in conventional exposure apparatuses, sealing materials (or adhesives) which are unlikely to generate an organosilicon gas, such as materials having a low content of low molecular weight siloxane, are used. However, such sealing materials exhibit poor operability due to a prolonged solidification time. Further, even when the content of low molecular weight siloxane in the sealing material is low, liberation of silicon cannot be completely suppressed, so that an organosilicon gas is generated in a small amount with a consequence that a small amount of SiO.sub.2 is likely to be deposited on the surface of lens.
As another example of sealing materials which are unlikely to generate an organosilicon gas, there can be mentioned non-evaporative two-liquid type adhesives. However, such two-liquid type adhesives also have poor operability.
Recently, there has been an increasing tendency to use, as exposure light, excimer laser beams having a short wavelength, such as a KrF excimer laserbeam (wavelength: 248 nm) and an ArF excimer laser beam (wavelength: 193 nm). On the other hand, it is known that when light having a short wavelength, such as excimer laser beams, is irradiated to adhesives containing silicon, silicon is liberated in a large amount. Therefore, it is considered that when excimer laser beams are used as exposure light, deposition of haze substance on the surfaces of lenses occurs in a wide range in the illumination optical system, so that countermeasures for deposition of haze substance have been strongly desired.